Cycling: Former rowers excel at veterans' cycle champs

TE AWAMUTU - Cyclists with rowing backgrounds won both veterans' events yesterday at the national road cycling championships at Te Awamutu.

In the tightest bunch sprint of the nationals so far, Nelson-Marlborough rider Deane Caughey beat John Burger, of Waikato, and Canterbury's Lester Settle by only centimetres in the 99km race.

"I knew that Lester was a good sprinter so I was looking for his wheel near the finish," Caughey said.

Caughey had made a solo break on the field and for 20km held a lead that stretched to 30s before being reeled back by the bunch.

"After that I knew that I'd have to look after myself until the finish," Caughey said.

He has been a cyclist for nine years but he won national honours as an under-19 rower.

The winner of the time trial on Tuesday, Otago's Ray Dunstan, attempted to steal the race with a well-timed break just inside the last four kilometres.

He desperately held a lead that went down from 10s to 5s and was swallowed up just before the finish.

Another former rower, with only four years' cycling experience, Laurie Sunde (West Coast NI), timed his sprint perfectly to win the oldest veteran's category race over 66km from Harry Donker (Waikato) and Alf Baker (East Coast NI).

Earlier in the day, Aucklander Lisa Haynes caused a minor upset in winning the junior under-17 girls' title.

The Massey College student was in a breakaway with team-mate Jade Gilbertson and Michelle Hyland and the trio were never caught.

Roseanne Chee (West Coast NI) could not repeat her time trial win, finishing fourth.

- NZPA